Percy Jackson & The Warrior's Burden
by Hellhound Trainer
Summary: Things are changing for Percy Jackson. Nightmares that make him get up during the night, a more aggressive and ruthless tendencies . Percy learns the dire consequences of bathing in the Styx. Set right after TLO.
1. Something Dark Inside

The first night it happened it was almost like a dream, a hellish sort of a dream but a dream nonetheless. Being a demi-god I am used to having those sorts of nightmares, ones that are actually happening and are a warning of what's to come. This was different; it wasn't the key to my next quest or a warning of another titan uprising.

Still after the nightmare passed I awoke and knew exactly what I had to do. There was no controlling my actions, my body was on autopilot and was merely along for the ride. The jeans that had been carelessly thrown over my desk chair and a simple wrinkled blue shirt are all I bothered to put on. For some reason the idea of shoes and socks seemed to foreign in my current mindset so I decide to go barefoot.

Last item I grab is an intricate ballpoint pen that I have developed a habit of keeping under my pillow. As I hold it in front of me I give it a click and watch as it transforms into a three foot bronze blade, my ally of death. My features show the emotion of a stone, a look if I saw on anybody else would completely creep me out. My gaze lingers on my blade for only a second then I move towards the window.

Next moment I slip out of my apartment and descend down the fire escape. There are no sounds to be heard as I make my away across the city, ducking in alleyways and keeping to the shadows. The scum that walk the streets of New York at three in the morning don't even detect my presence, a barefoot teenager running with a sword towards his target.

Central Park is deserted except for the homeless who use the benches as their beds. The mortals are of no importance to me; they are not the enemy I seek. Swiftly moving through the grass I get a primitive enjoyment out of feeling the earth beneath my feet. As I get to an old part of the park covered with mature trees I pause, the small clearing I saw as I slept lying just ahead. Without hesitation I jump and climb up the tree closest to me.

Before I was a decent climber but now moving from tree to tree with gracefulness of monkey I feel as if I can do anything. Soon I am at the clearing and the picture of my prey is just as I had seen it. Gathered around a small fire are five empousai, two adults and what I guess three children. They are doing nothing but talking and maybe even laughing with one another. Part of me is saying that they are doing nothing wrong but another, the more feral, part is yelling that they are still monsters and eventually they will do something. There is no reason stall their judgment.

The branch I am standing on is big and sturdy; the tree is so densely covered in leaves I am shrouded behind them. Silently I move out further on the branch towards the empousai, crouching to watch my targets for a few seconds. Inside me there is a merciless laugh at how they are unaware of their eventual death looming fifteen above them.

Without hesitation I jump from my hiding place and glide down towards my first victim, the darkness of the night sky veiling my presence. The bronze from my blade and the sudden eerie glow of my sea green eyes are the only things visible in the darkness. An adult empousa spots as me as I am about to make contact with the ground, but her awareness comes too little too late. My feet come into contact with the earth and immediately I somersault forward and run my blade through where the first child's heart should be.

It is as if I had planned my exact move as I crouch and roll sideways, slicing my blade diagonally through another child. With impossible speed I stand and jump over the small flames and decapitate the terrified child on the side. The first adult empousa is still stunned as I slice at her torso, cutting her directly in two. There is a faint smile as I hear her hiss in pain before the body turns into dust.

Casually I walk around the fire and stand directly in front of the other adult. Her sword is drawn and ready to defend herself, visibly shaken from what just happened to her family. I charge forward at full speed, her blade doesn't even dawn on me as a threat, and she swings prematurely for my head. Dropping below her blade I slide forward and lunge the point of my sword through her chin all the way to the top of her mouth, the strangled movements of her caught tongue can be heard through the silence of the park.

As she dissolves into nothingness I stand and look at the deserted clearing, the only sign of disturbance is the small fire still crackling. The way I moved and handled my sword it was as if I had done it a thousand times before, and for some reason it felt like I had. What struck me most odd was that I was disappointed, that my struggle didn't give me anymore of a challenge. Never before had I moved with such efficiency and without fear and yet there was a thirst inside of me for more.

Then something snapped inside of me and I was brought back to reality, fully realizing what I had just done. I fell to my knees and let Riptide drop from my hand, it made a clanging sound as it hit the ground as if it hit concrete instead of grass. My hands covered my face as I cried out into the night. I was not myself moments before, killing something that had not done something to deserve it. Yet the savage in me was still saying that they were monsters and they deserved their fate. What scared me the most was that there was something deep inside of me that enjoyed what I just did and wanted more.

That night I was not Percy Jackson, or the son of Poseidon. No, that night I was a warrior possessed.

**A/N: Hopefully this idea hasn't been done. There seems to be quite a few flamers out there so I am sure I will hear if it has. Percy will be darker in this story at parts but it is for a reason. **

**Looking for Beta so if interested PM me. Punctuation has always alluded me.**


	2. Change May not be That Bad

The next morning the first rays of sunshine shining through my window awakened me. Mentally I cursed Apollo for bringing the sun too early and pulled the comforter over my head. Content to be shielded from the sun's harsh light, I began to roll onto my side and froze. My eyes shot open and I looked down at my body, to see my shirt and jeans were still on. Panicking I lifted the covers and sat up, hoping that somehow the whole ordeal was all in my head. As I turned and put my feet on the floor my hopes were dashed as I saw Riptide fully extended, leaning against my dresser.

Becoming more aware I noticed my whole body ached. Leaping from tree to tree like I was Tarzan was probably not the wisest thing to do, or that spectacular fifteen-foot tree dive for that matter. Physically I should not have been able to do that, demi-god or not. The signs were there and I had to face it, everything actually happened and not just some nightmare. Now the question was what should I do about it? True many demi-gods had nightmares but that nightmare was different. It wasn't about a quest but my subconscious seeking out a challenge… a kill.

While I knew telling Chiron, Annabeth, or even my mom was the right thing to do, I feared what they would think of me. Things like 'poor Percy Jackson is finally cracking under the stress' or 'the battle with Kronos must have been too much for him.' Also I didn't want them worrying about me, especially since they probably didn't have an answer to my problem anyways. Hopefully what happened at the park was a one-time occurrence and then there would be no real reason to alert anybody.

Besides if it did happen again it wasn't like it was such a bad thing. Sure the empousai technically weren't doing anything wrong but they would've eventually, I mean I'd yet to encounter a benevolent monster. Apart from just being freaked out it wasn't that big of a deal.

With my mind made up I got off my bed and stood, immediately shots of pain went through my feet making collapse back onto my bed. Pulling my feet up to examine them I saw the result of what you get for walking through a city without shoes. There were cuts and scrapes all over the soles of my feet. I reached under my bed and pulled out a Ziploc bag, luckily I had a stash of Ambrosia hidden away.

Suddenly I remembered it was the first day of my junior year and I decided push what happened last night aside. With any luck whatever it was would just go away and hopefully it wouldn't get so out of control I would have to go for help.

Going into the kitchen for a quick breakfast I had only one thought, why do these things always happen to me?

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A few weeks passed and things seemed to be going normally, actually that's a lie things were going better than ever. After that night I felt more relaxed and rested. In fact I was even concentrating better in school, of course that translates into me getting C plusses rather than minuses. In fact I put off the night in the park as just my hero side needing to blow off some steam and that was all there was to it. Of course I knew that wasn't the case but it was a lie that made me feel better.

Then the first sign came that things were far from being over. One day after school as I was walking home I passed a shoe store and stopped when I saw in the display case were a pair of sandals. Yeah I know footwear is hardly a cause for alarm but I have always been a firm sneaker guy. An overwhelming feeling from my subconscious told me that I would need them. Without a second thought I went in and bought them.

That was only the first sign of things to come. A few days later when I was sitting in math I swore I could smell something funny, and no not the guy next to me did something kind of funny. This smell was unique yet familiar and it took all my will to keep from getting up and tracking it to its' source. Truth was I knew exactly what I smelled and what it meant I just didn't want to acknowledge it.

After that day I became more and more restless, a carnal desire gradually making its' way to the surface. Everyday I felt the need to start a fight with somebody, anybody to make the feeling go away. The feeling was like the one I had when I was around Ares except magnify that times ten. Continually I pushed that carnal desire away, refusing to acknowledge it was there.

Eventually anything that is caged finds it way out and my longing desires were no different. For the first time since the park I had another nightmare, it was actually the longest I went without having one since I found out I was a demi-god. This time when I woke up there was less fervor but still the same single mindedness as before. Again I grabbed the clothes closest to me, the only difference this time and the last are the sandals I bought. At least this time my feet wouldn't be torn to shreds.

Again I traveled silently through the night with Riptide fully fledged in my hand. Okay New York is a big city and running anywhere should take too long and tire most anybody out but I was so focused on getting there I didn't even think about it. Next thing I knew I was in China Town, the sight of my next kill. As I made my way up the alley between a restaurant and antique store I got hold of a scent, and unfortunately I'm not talking about egg rolls or lo mien. No it was the same smell I got in math class, reaffirming that I could now smell monsters.

Even though I should have been floored by the fact that I now had the same ability as satyr, the allure of going after my next target was too strong to ignore. The alley was completely dark except for the odd light above the back doors to various shops. Quietly I crept around the corner and saw what I was after, my old friend the Minotaur was digging face first into a dumpster behind one of the restaurants. If I weren't so focused on my tasked I would have burst out laughing that any monster had an affinity for Chinese.

Before I could advance on my target I heard him sniff deeply, apparently the smell of a demi-god overpowers that of kung-pao. I watched as he lifted his head out of the dumpster to stare me down with his dark beady eyes, roaring loudly to try and frighten me.

Any other time, any other mindset I would have been scared or timid but all I felt was a sense of thrill, a hope that this time would be more of a fight. The Minotaur continued to roar as one his hoofs scraped back and forth on the pavement, signaling his upcoming charge. Full speed he rushed towards me, his head down, horns ready to skewer me. My stance was firm and unflinching, one foot and my sword in front of me. There wasn't a trace of fear on me. I actually waited until the last moment to fall to the side and rammed the back of the hilt of my sword into his side.

The Minotaur howled in pain and stumble momentarily before turning around. The beast wasn't expecting me to hit with that kind of force and frankly neither was I. His anger was considerably heightened as he rushed me again causing him to be reckless and granting me the opportunity to make my next move. Again I waited until he was close and he lowered his head to ream me before I jumped on top, grabbed his horn, and wrapped my legs around his neck.

If I were in my right mindset I would have quickly taken Riptide and thrust my sword between his horns but like before I was not myself. No I sat there as he frantically moved around in frustration trying to throw me off his back, all the while roaring with rage. The truth was while it would have been easy to kill him I wanted to watch him struggle, to move around helplessly, all the while knowing that he would be sent back to the depths of Tartarus at any moment.

Finally I decided it was enough, that the Minotaur was not going to give any more a game than it already had. With a quick slice I cut off one of his horns to add my collection and he rewarded me with a gut-wrenching howl of pain. Next untangled my legs from his neck and kicked off of him and as I fell down his back my sword spliced through his spine.

Without waiting I started my walk back to my apartment, not even looking back as the Minotaur blasted into oblivion. This time was exactly like it had been with the empousai at Central Park; the blatant disregard for my own safety, the precise calculated movements that felt like I was just going through the motions, and the killing of a monster that didn't do me any harm. The only difference between now and then is that now I feel no remorse, I've accepted what I am, and what I've become.

I am Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, and hero that bares a curse.

**A/N: I know what some of you are thinking that Percy is acting too powerful. Don't worry it will be explained hopefully within the next couple of chapters. This and last chapter is to buildup what is happening to Percy, the personality changes that he is going through. The pace will slow down eventually trust me.**

**Also I know I have Percy getting his feet cup up even though he has the Curse of Achilles. That will be explained in a later chapter.**

**Looking for a Beta if anybody is interested. Punctuation and I will forever be eternal enemies.**

**Again R&R appreciated.**


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